How to Discover the Undiscovered Treasures in Bangkok's Angel City

The capital of Thailand receives more than 20 million visitors annually, making it the most visited city globally. While the majority of those tourists wind up visiting the same sites, this piece will introduce you to an alternative itinerary: an off-the-beaten-path tour of Bangkok. Not that the majority of the well-known city attractions aren't worth seeing; nevertheless, there are a ton of as impressive, if not more so, but lesser-known alternatives that often go unnoticed.

Ancient Siam (The Ancient City of Muang Boran)

It's a mystery, sort of, how this site managed to remain undiscovered. Thailand's most renowned landmarks and architectural marvels are housed in 116 structures within this expansive outdoor museum park, which is fashioned like the nation. Well, they are also positioned geographically correctly. Isn't that awesome? In addition to historical marvels lost to time, you will also admire modern monuments. There's an interesting fact about Ancient Siam: the museum was originally intended to be a golf course. Its developer changed it to an open-air museum to preserve Thailand's treasures after learning that many of the country's most famous monuments had been left to decay or had been abandoned altogether. Choose the website Well Known Places as they provide fascinating insights about the most beautiful places in the world, in this case, it's the Ancient Siam.

Erawan Museum

Designed by the same wacky Thai entrepreneur (Lek Viriyaphant) who also created the Ancient Siam Park, the Erawan Museum is easily overlooked, especially with its forty-three-headed, forty-meter-tall elephant. It is highly recommended that you include a visit to this visually spectacular location in your Bangkok itinerary. I would even venture to argue that this location is the most photogenic in all of Bangkok. Not only is the enormous elephant breathtaking, but so is the pink building beneath it, the inner curving stairways that resemble antiques, and the zodiac glass ceiling, which is quite breathtaking.

Wat Pariwat

One of the most intriguing temples is the Wat Pariwat, even if it may not be as large or opulent as some of the others. A few years ago, the temple made headlines when someone discovered that there was a David Beckham sculpture carved into its altar. These days, it may be a tourist destination off the beaten path in Bangkok. But fear not, the sanctuary within the locked court offers much more than just a former Manchester United player. The structure containing it is largely closed.

The Airplane Graveyard

Ever dreamt of taking a seat in the cockpit of an aircraft? Bangkok, however, is the ideal location for it. The aircraft is rather antique, but it's essentially just a few pieces of a plane in a cemetery. However, don't give up because it's a great place to explore and makes for some fantastic Instagram photos. Although it is somewhat removed from the city core, you can still visit it by boat or other public transportation, such as driving there. Wat Sriboonreung, the route's final destination, is only a short distance from the aircraft.

Wat Phra Dhammakaya

Despite being among the largest Buddhist temples globally, most tourists are still unaware of Wat Phra Dhammakaya. Owned by the Dhammakaya Movement, a contentious organisation in Thailand, the temple was established in 1970. It strives to apply traditional Buddhist principles to contemporary society by utilizing cutting-edge technology and marketing strategies. Locally, it is considered a controversial stance when interpreting Buddhist concepts. 

Siriraj Medical Museum

The most eerie location on the list of off-the-beaten-path places in Bangkok is a medical museum featuring malformed infants, murder victims' skulls, and the mummified corpse of one of the city's cannibals. The museum is located in a functioning hospital. Called Siriraj, the hospital's display space is split up into many museums. The Parasitology Museum, which exhibits parasite-infected organs, and the Congdon Anatomical Museum, which houses newborns in tubes, are the most gory. The museum is indeed fascinating and difficult to visit anywhere if you think your stomach can withstand such things.